AUBURN, Alabama - It's hot, they may be getting tired, but Mike Pelton is driving home a point in practice.

Don't believe the hype. Auburn's defensive linemen still have work to do.

"A lot of them read in the newspaper and hear people talk about this group is going to be special and a lot of them believe that. Bottom line is you've got to come to work," says the Tigers' defensive line coach.

The defensive line has four starters returning, maybe five depending how you count. Most of the 16 defensive linemen on scholarship have experience. And only one is a senior. A lot these players are familiar to Auburn fans: Corey Lemonier, Nosa Eguae, Jeff Whitaker, Ken Carter, Gabe Wright, LaDarius Owens, Angelo Blackson, Craig Sanders, Devaunte Sigler and Dee Ford.

They have something to prove, says Pelton.

"We were 11th in defensive line in our conference. I think we were 86th for the whole deal, so that's where you're at right now," Pelton said. "That's the perception of our defense, and we've got to improve.

"We've got to continue to practice hard, to drive them hard, and they're just going to have to come up to our standards."

Pelton played deep into his depth chart last year, though Lemonier, Whitaker, Eguae combined for 39 starts. Carter and Wright shared a defensive tackle spot. They've been joined by freshmen Tyler Nero and Gimel President.

Eguae welcomes the competition.

"It's awesome. Just to see 11 or 12 guys competing for jobs is something that I haven't been a part of since I've been here," he said. "This is my fourth fall camp and we've never had this type of depth. It's nice to see. You just see guys competing and that's the biggest thing."

Eguae started 13 games at defensive end last year, but he missed spring practice with a shoulder injury. Ford took advantage and was one of the most talked-about players in those practices.

"I'm a little bit behind because it was a new defense to come in, but I spent a lot of time this summer grasping the defense," Eguae said. "He did a great job this past spring, but right now we're in competition. You've got to love it."

Also returning from injury is Wright.

"He's 100 percent," Pelton said. "But the thing about Gabe, he missed fall camp last year, and he missed the spring. We're just trying to get Gabe to get through a whole camp."

Carter missed the sprig with a bad shoulder. He says he's over that.

"I feel terrific. I feel like a freshman again," Carter said.

But he knows he has some catching up to do.

"I felt like I wasn't getting left behind," Carter said. "It just put more pressure on me to learn the defense; it just made me want to strive more."